One final baseball hurrah for the Yankees' captain

He feels an obligation. Will his heart be in it? That's a tough one. If we're being brutally honest, you probably know the answer to that one. Because it's Derek Jeter, he'll try to get there. That's what pros do.

He'll go through all the routines one final time, and at some point, it's sure to hit him that now it is really over. After Sunday, there'll be only memories.

Don't expect an outpouring of emotion. He's probably beyond that sort of thing, having arrived here in the wee hours of Friday physically exhausted, emotionally spent. He wrote the perfect ending on Thursday night with that walk-off single at Yankee Stadium and especially with the outpouring of emotion and celebration that followed.

Who could ask for one more thing from this guy?

Commissioner Bud Selig understands. He was so touched by that ending he had trouble sleeping. He finally grabbed a piece of paper and began scribbling the names of the best players of every generation.

Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial. Jackie Robinson and Frank Robinson. Willie Mays and Henry Aaron. For a couple of months now, Selig has told us again and again that it had been an honor to watch Jeter all these years and that what Ted Williams meant to one generation, Jeter means to this one.

So after Jeter wrote one of the great endings any player has ever written, nothing he could do this weekend at Fenway Park could come close to that. No one should have blamed him for leaving just that way. Ted Williams homered in his last at-bat at Fenway Park in 1960, then didn't play during a three-game road trip to Yankee Stadium.

Anyway, Jeter did take Friday off and said he would serve as the Yankees designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday. When Yankees manager Joe Girardi checked with him on Saturday morning, Jeter said he was good for two at-bats.

He got warm ovations before both. He once more heard his name chanted. Red Sox starter Joe Kelly struck him out with a 99-mph fastball in the first inning, then Jeter beat out an infield chopper in the third for his 3,464th hit. He sprinted through first base and appeared to be limping when he returned to the dugout.

His day was over. Girardi said he would again check with Jeter before filling out his lineup card on Sunday. When Jeter was asked if he would play Sunday, he said, "Yep."

Does it matter? It ended in a larger way on Thursday. He gave us all he had. He has done that for 20 seasons. He did it in May the same way he did it in October. He prided himself on that. He never thought he had the most talent, so he determined early on to never be outworked.

"He was always prepared," Girardi said. "He always wanted to play. As a manager, that's all you can ask."

Greatness can be defined a hundred different ways. For Jeter, it was about being conscientious and smart and taking advantage of every single gift he'd been given. He had plenty of physical gifts, but he's special because he maximized them and because he did the game -- and his franchise -- proud off the field, too.

If he were any other player, he might not have even tried to play again.

"If it was me, I'm not sure what I would have done," Girardi said.

From the moment Jeter announced in February that this season would be his last, baseball fans have understood this day would be here sooner than they could have imagined. That's what Sunday represents. One of the great players to ever play the game will put some kind of finishing touch on his career.

Jeter's legacy is secure, and Girardi used the word "sadness" to describe this ending.

"You never want to see a great player leave," he said.

Maybe Jeter summed it up perfectly a couple of days ago.

"I wouldn't change a thing," he said.

Richard Justice is a columnist for MLB.com. Read his blog, Justice4U. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Girardi proud of players, but disappointed in club's results

"I told you all along I was proud of them, but I just wanted to let them know what we expect next year," Girardi said after Saturday's 10-4 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. "None of us are happy that we're not playing next week.

"These guys played hard. It is unfortunate. You go through an offseason and they work hard in training and when you don't get there, if you don't have disappointment, something is wrong."

The report also said that Girardi wanted to see a hungrier attitude from his team, which went 11-12 in games that were deemed to be "must win" leading up to their mathematical elimination Wednesday.

"The bottom line is that we didn't execute well enough in certain situations, and we have to do better," Girardi said. "That's the thing, whether it's getting a runner over and in, making a pitch when you need to make a pitch. We were in a lot of close games.

"If we could have won five or six more, you might be playing next week. We were in so many, you definitely have some you can remember."

The meeting shifted in tone when the players, led by CC Sabathia, were permitted to present Jeter with several gifts marking his final game in the Bronx. The players offered Jeter a painting of The New Yorker's Sept. 8 cover, depicting Jeter waving goodbye, and a watch.

Jeter has spoken about that gift, saying that it tweaked his emotions: "I almost lost it and I had to turn around," he said after Thursday's walk-off hit to beat the Orioles.

Girardi was irked that details of what was supposed to be an in-house meeting had been leaked to the media, and said that he chose Thursday's game to hold the meeting because he wanted to have it at Yankee Stadium, rather than in the cramped visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park.

It is not out of character for Girardi to hold such a meeting near the end of the season.

"I address the team after every year," Girardi said. "Sometimes I do it the night we either make it or are eliminated. I've done it different ways. I chose to do it [Thursday] to let them know what we expect and get ready. I was direct in the message I wanted to get across. As you well know, that is my personality."

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Batting second, Jeter at DH for final game

He appeared to tweak a hamstring while running down the baseline and was removed for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, but indicated that he intended to play on Sunday.

This will be Jeter's 2,747th and final regular-season game. It will also be his 153rd game at Fenway Park (regular season and postseason), surpassing Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle for most games played in Boston as a Yankee.

Manager Joe Girardi has said that he will operate according to Jeter's wishes for his final weekend.

Jeter requested to take Friday off after Thursday's emotional Yankee Stadium farewell, but said that he wanted to play on Saturday and Sunday out of respect for the fans and the rivalry with the Red Sox.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Yanks open Jeter's final series with win over Sox

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Emotionally spent Jeter takes rare break

"I'm not playing," Jeter said. "I don't know if I could play tonight if I wanted to play tonight. I haven't slept much. I don't think I really slept, maybe a couple of hours. It's been a wide range of emotions the last few hours."

He'll be back in the lineup as the designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday to finish off his career only out of respect to the Red Sox and the fans of Boston. After grounding a game-winning, ninth-inning single through the 3.5 hole between first and second base in his last New York at-bat to defeat the Orioles on Thursday night, there's not much Jeter has left.

"That's as good as it gets, I think, for me. It's one of those special days that I'll always remember. I can't think of a better way to end my career at Yankee Stadium. You couldn't have scripted it any better," he said adding, "I'm playing here because I have respect for this rivalry, for Boston and their fans. If it was anywhere else I don't know if I would play."

And that's a good thing, even with Jeter out of the lineup on Friday, a packed house at Fenway chanted his name beginning as the Yankees batted in the top of the third inning and on and off throughout the 3-2 Yanks win. The chants were faint in comparison to what occurred during the game on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, but they resounded in his honor just the same.

"I remember coming here in the All-Star Game in '99 and the car that was dropping us off went to the wrong entrance," he recalled. "I was out of the car walking to the stadium and I thought [the Red Sox fans] were going to kill me, they were all over me. So it's funny how things have changed."

Jeter said he was a jangle of emotions on Thursday night, so dazed that he's looking forward to watching the game with family and friends so he can appreciate what happened. He doesn't remember much of it. He remembers ducking into the clubhouse and into restrooms to privately choke back tears. It's not that he didn't openly want to share those emotions, he just didn't think he could.

"I didn't say it was important [for people] not to see it," he said. "I just thought it was important for me to hold it together. I think once I lost it, that was it, I'm done. So I tried to hold it together."

It began with gifts from his teammates in the clubhouse before the game, a painting and a watch. Jeter had to hide his eyes. Then it was the top of the eighth inning with the Yankees clinging to a three-run lead. Fans chanted his name and the TV cameras showed various tight shots of the emotions welling up as he tried to concentrate from his station at short. For the first time ever on a baseball field, Jeter was overwhelmed. The stadium had become a cauldron of electricity building to a crescendo as the last innings, the last at-bats peeled away.

"That's accurate," he said. "I told you, I had to stop myself from crying when I was on the field. I've never really felt like that before. The emotions changed quickly, but that started before the game even began. It just built up and built up. If they would have taken me out of the game, I probably would have lost it. All the reflection and the -- I don't want to say sadness -- but the reflection changed to excitement after the hit. That's why after the game I was pretty excited. It was no longer time to be sad."

So many issues had to conspire for Jeter to come up with a runner on second in the bottom of the ninth -- the two Orioles homers and three runs that tied the score during the top of the inning, Orioles manager Buck Showalter allowing reliever Evan Meek to pitch to Jeter with one out and first base open. That was certainly against the book.

But it was destiny, wasn't it? Buck knew it. Girardi knew it. Jeter's first manager and last skipper wanted to give him one last chance. And in the heat of the moment, Jeter was able to block it all out, slapping the first pitch to the opposite side.

"It was difficult, but I was able to [block it all out] it for two or three seconds," he said. "I was only in there for one pitch. It was hard. It was. For a moment, I don't know, man. I got lucky, I guess."

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Boomskie on Baseball. Follow @boomskie on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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There will never be another Derek Jeter

The answer: Nobody.

Nobody ever will do what Jeter just did, and I'm not only talking about his game-winning single Thursday night. With much of the world watching his every breath -- along with a who's who collection stuffed inside of Yankee Stadium -- this was his farewell to the hometown fans as a player.

Actually, let's continue right there, because what Jeter did in that Orioles game leads us to one of the biggest reasons few -- OK, nobody -- will follow in his cleat steps. He lived for moments, and then he owned them.

His moment Thursday night was different, though. He was battling the Orioles and himself, and the latter was the tougher foe.

"It was the first time in my career I told myself, 'Please, don't hit it to me,'" he said, describing his emotions at shortstop, where he fought back tears.

Even so, he gathered himself enough to double home a run in his first at-bat. Then he collected two more RBIs after that, including one that helped solidify his legend.

This was vintage Jeter, the Yankees' captain who rarely encountered one of those moments in which he didn't apply pixie dust to his bat, his glove, his arm or his legs. There was his "flip play" out of nowhere against the A's during the 2001 playoffs. He blasted that game-winning home run during the post-9/11 World Series to become Mr. November. Speaking of homers, he wasn't a power hitter, but he nevertheless has 260 of them entering the season's final weekend. For one of them, he ripped his 3,000th hit, and he did so against David Price, a perennial All-Star pitcher. Then there was his last trip to the All-Star Game, where he promptly delivered a double to right in his first at-bat.

Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Giancarlo Stanton -- They've all had their moments. They all come to mind regarding candidates who could prosper in Jeter-type situations on a consistent basis. It's just that Trout, McCutchen and Stanton would have to encounter and conquer those moments for a couple of decades. You know, just like Jeter.

Good luck with that. The same goes for anybody seeking to become the next bigger-than-life player without even the hint of scandal. This was as impressive as Jeter's ability to shock opponents in the clutch. Here was this highly sought-after bachelor who was the most visible athlete on the most famous professional sports team in history, and he was playing in New York City, which we are told through song is a place that never sleeps.

That normally equals trouble.

Not for Jeter. In addition, he spent the bulk of his career playing for the famously demanding George Steinbrenner, who had issues with just about every gigantic personality in his clubhouse. Jeter was a glaring exception. Even after the tabloids said they were feuding deep in the shadows, they did a national commercial together to spoof the situation.

Here's the other thing: In addition to referring to The Boss as "Mr. Steinbrenner," Jeter called Yankees manager Joe Torre "Mr. Torre." I mean, what other superstar of Jeter's caliber respected his elders that way from the beginning to the end of their careers, and who will do so in the future?

Some may be as polite as Jeter, and others might follow one of his greatest attributes by perfecting the lost art of always looking folks in the eyes while answering their questions.

But this is for sure: Several things are going the way of Babe Ruth's old flannel uniforms after Jeter leaves the Yankees dugout for the last time in Boston. His No. 2 will be the last of the single-digit numbers worn by anybody for the Yankees. He also will be the final player to exit from the franchise's dynasty that produced the likes of Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Robinson Cano and others along the way to five World Series since 1996.

Finally, you had the recorded words of the late Bob Sheppard over the public address system. Whenever Jeter strolled to home plate, it was Sheppard's distinguished voice saying: "Now batting for the Yankees, number two, Derek Jeter, number two."

No more. Nobody ever will have anything close to such an introduction as long as baseballs are round. That was purely Jeter, along everything else I didn't have time to mention.

No wonder Jeter almost cried Thursday night.

Terence Moore is a columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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MLB players react to Jeter's walk-off single

Here's a sampling of some of the reactions from players and managers around the Majors -- from rivals to former teammates to folks who don't know him well but have watched from afar.

• Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz: "Wow. That's him. Perfect. I would say the Yankees fans this year, they're not going to go to the playoffs, but that was like a playoff game right there when you end up winning it. It was unbelievable.

"I think he should [play when the Yankees go to Fenway this weekend], and he will. Even one at-bat. I know that he probably will be thinking about leaving it right there. But he's a guy who knows what he does very well. Everybody is expecting him to get an at-bat or play in a game, or whatever."

• Tigers reliever Joba Chamberlain, Jeter's teammate of seven seasons: "It was a little bit surreal for me, obviously playing my whole career -- besides this year -- there with him. I just talked to him a couple of days ago. I didn't really want to bother him when all this was going on. I just wanted to thank him for everything he did for me.

"I was sitting there before the game, and I called it. I knew there was going to be something that he did to change the game, and obviously it started off in the first inning, he hit a double. Then watching that last inning unfold, and watching him up there, it shouldn't be written any other way. You want to go out on his terms, and he did. Seeing him get that hit, and drive that run in to win the game, was cool for me, as his old teammate, but more importantly his friend. He's one of the most genuine men I've ever met."

• Mets outfielder and former Yankee Curtis Granderson, who was in the on-deck circle when Jeter recorded his 3,000th hit (a home run): "He's had some magical moments, and tonight just adds to the list of the ones that he had."

• White Sox manager Robin Ventura, Jeter's teammate in 2002-03: "That's great. Hopefully [Paul Konerko], playing his final home games this weekend] has something like that. You get something similar. But it doesn't surprise me. We've seen it plenty of times. It's good for him and I'm sure it was a good moment just there for the fans and everybody."

• Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre: "That was textbook right there. You can't beat that."

• Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez: "This thing looks like a movie or something. It's crazy. Good day for him."

• Rays manager Joe Maddon: "Why wouldn't it happen that way? Bully for him. It is a pretty great script to write at the end of his career."

• Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer: "I mean, you could see it coming when the inning started. We were sitting in the lunch room and Jeter's hitting third, and it's like, he's gonna walk it off. We knew it. And so we were saying, how loud would the boos have been if they would've walked him?"

Tim Healey is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Final home game is Jeter's last at shortstop

"I don't know about tomorrow. I'm not sure. I will play, but I hope that people can respect my decision on that. I've only played shortstop for my entire career, and the last time I want to play it is tonight."

Manager Joe Girardi said that he would allow Jeter to make the decision on how much he wants to play once the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason. Girardi, like many people around the Yankees, assumed Jeter would certainly decide to play every game he can.

Girardi, however, knew how quickly a player's mind could change. He was certain that Mariano Rivera would decide to play center field at some point during his final three games in Houston last season, but after the way Rivera's final game at Yankee Stadium ended, the closer wanted that to be the final image of his career.

Jeter has been asked the question about playing the final three games in Boston several times during the last month, which he always side-stepped with an answer questioning why he would not. But when the Yankees were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention on Wednesday, things changed, and he started responding that he would make that decision when those games in Boston drew nearer.

The 40-year-old decided prior to Thursday's game that it would be his last playing the position he grew up wanting to play since he was 4 or 5 years old. After Jeter drove home the game-winning run, Jeter ran back out onto the field and kneeled, taking it all in from short for one last time in his career while being showered with adoration.

"It was above and beyond anything I'd ever dreamt of," Jeter said. "I mean, I don't even know what to say. I've lived a dream. This is, since I was 4 or 5 years old, and part of that dream is over now."

Jamal Collier is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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MLB Notebook: Jeter did amazing home work

Jeter leaves home a hero … again
Playing in his final home game, Jeter delivered a walk-off single to right in the ninth to give the Yankees a 6-5 victory over the Orioles.

A few notes regarding Jeter's standing among all players since 1923 (the Yankee Stadium(s) era):

• Jeter concludes with 1,727 home hits, a total that is fifth highest. Pete Rose leads with 2,123 hits in home games and is followed by Carl Yastrzemski (1,822), Stan Musial (1,815) and Hank Aaron (1,811).

• Jeter concludes with a .313 batting average at home -- the 11th-highest mark among players with a minimum of 5,000 plate appearances for the split. Wade Boggs leads with a .354 average and is followed by Paul Waner, Musial, Rod Carew, Roberto Clemente, Charlie Gehringer, Brett, Paul Molitor, Luke Appling, Chipper Jones and Jeter.

• Jeter now has 865 wins as a starter in games at home, giving him one more than Musial collected. The three players ahead of Jeter are Rose (1,024), Yastrzemski (944) and Aaron (898).

At 40 years and 91 days old, Jeter was the second-oldest Yankees player in the past 40 seasons to deliver a game-ending hit. On Oct. 2, 2012, Raul Ibanez (40 years and 122 days old), hit a walk-off single to give the Yankees a 4-3 victory over the Red Sox.

Jeter also drove in a run with a first-inning double -- his 544th career two-base hit. The double gives him one more than Tony Gwynn, and gives Jeter sole possession of 30th place on the all-time list. Among players with at least 67 percent of their career games at shortstop, the total stands as the third highest behind Honus Wagner's 643 and Cal Ripken, Jr.'s 603.

O's homers not enough
In the Orioles' loss, Nick Markakis and Alejandro De Aza opened the top of the first with home runs -- the first time the O's had hit back-to-back homers to open a game since they hit three in a row to start the proceedings on May 10, 2012 in the first game of a doubleheader. In that game, Markakis hit the third dinger.

In all, the Orioles hit four homers. It was the eighth time this season they'd hit at least four in a game (the most in the Majors), and this game marked their first loss in those eight games. Overall, teams are 73-6 in 2014 when hitting at least four homers in a game.

Victor keeps on rolling
Victor Martinez added another longball to his career-high tally, hitting his 32nd of the year in the Tigers' 4-2 win over the Twins. Martinez also added his 33rd double and struck out once.

Martinez has 65 extra-base hits with 42 K's on the season, he has a slash line of .337/.410/.571, and he owns a 170 OPS+. His strikeout percentage currently stands at 6.66. The past five players to finish a year with an OPS+ of at least 170 and a strikeout percentage as low as Martinez's current mark:

• Barry Bonds in 2004 (263 and 6.65 percent)

• Brett in 1980 (203 and 4.27 percent)

• Musial in 1957 (172 and 5.87 percent)

• Williams in 1954 (201 and 6.08 percent)

• Musial in 1951 (183 and 5.90 percent)

Scherzer notches No. 18
Detroit's Max Scherzer allowed two runs and fanned nine in six innings to improve to 18-5 on the season. In 2013, Scherzer owned an .875 winning percentage with 240 strikeouts, and this year he has a .783 mark with 252 K's.

Before Scherzer, no right-hander had posted multiple seasons with at least 240 K's and a winning percentage of at least .780. Going all the way back, there had been 11 instances of this happening before Scherzer in 2013: Old Hoss Radbourn (1884), Mickey Welch ('85), Smoky Joe Wood (1912), Walter Johnson ('13), Dazzy Vance ('24), Denny McLain ('68), Dwight Gooden ('85), Pedro Martinez ('99), Curt Schilling (2001), Tim Lincecum ('08) and Justin Verlander ('11).

After his outing on Thursday, Scherzer's strikeout rate rests at 27.9 percent for the year. He posted a 29.4 percent in 2012 and 28.7 percent in '13. He is one of five righties to have at least three seasons being at or above 27.5 percent. Nolan Ryan had six such seasons, while Martinez and Schilling each had five, with Kerry Wood joining Scherzer at three.

Edinson lighting it up for Bucs
Edinson Volquez fanned 10 in seven scoreless innings and picked up the win as the Pirates defeated the Braves, 10-1.

Volquez is 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA in 192 2/3 innings this season. From 2009-13, his overall work outlined to a season average with a 7-7 record, a 4.94 ERA and a 115 innings.

Since the All-Star break, Volquez owns a 2.20 ERA in 13 games, which is tied for 14th lowest among pitchers with at least 10 second-half starts. His 1.08 ERA in September is the lowest among pitchers with at least five starts this month.

The Pirates own a 2.20 team ERA in September -- the lowest in the Majors. The last Bucs team to post a September/October mark below 2.50 was the 1972 club (2.34).

Here and there
• In the Mariners' 7-5 win over the Blue Jays, Logan Morrison hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the fourth inning and then added a go-ahead solo shot in the sixth. Morrison has hit five homers in September which have either tied the game or given his team the lead. Those five in September are the most for any Mariners player since Adrian Beltre in 2006, and they tie Morrison with Carlos Santana for the second-most in the Majors in 2014. Adam LaRoche has seven for the Nationals this month.

• Casey McGehee drove in three runs in the Marlins' 6-4 win over the Phillies, and now has 74 RBIs on the season. McGehee has also hit four home runs in 600 at-bats while playing 154 games at third base. The most recent player to have at least 74 RBIs, play at least 150 games at third, and own a HR/AB mark as low as McGehee's was Pie Traynor in 1933. That year, Traynor drove in 82 while going deep just once in 624 at-bats.

Roger Schlueter is senior researcher for MLB Productions. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Stoic Jeter starting to feel weight of moment

Now every at-bat comes with a standing ovation. A routine groundout on Wednesday was followed by a sellout crowd chanting Jeter's name and demanding a curtain call.

Normalcy? Forget about it.

"I'm aware of it," Jeter said. "You can't help but notice. I catch myself looking around sometimes. I've always tried not to do that, but I've caught myself a couple of times doing it, so I'm well aware of it."

Wednesday's loss eliminated the Yankees from postseason contention, and while Jeter attempted to answer the usual questions about himself, he kept returning to the fact that he's not going to the postseason for only the second time in his 20-season career.

Jeter was injured last season when the Yankees missed the playoffs. When he was healthy, they'd missed only in 2008. But they rebounded to win the World Series in 2009.

"It's tough," Jeter said. "It's what you play for. It's a rough feeling. It should be a rough feeling for everyone in here. We didn't play well enough. Put a lot of work into an offseason and see it as a good opportunity to go to the playoffs, and unfortunately we're not going. It's something that, for the guys that are coming back and will continue to play, it's a feeling that you shouldn't like, and you shouldn't want to get used to it."

Now the focus will be strictly on Jeter. He'll play his final home game on Thursday night against the Orioles and then decide how much he'll play this weekend at Fenway Park.

Jeter declined to even speculate on the weekend, saying he simply wanted to get through his final home game. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he'll try to figure an appropriate way to finish Jeter's career at Yankee Stadium.

For Mariano Rivera's last game, Girardi had Andy Pettitte and Jeter go to the mound and remove him. Girardi said that was a spur-of-the-moment idea and had mulled some ideas for Jeter.

"I've talked about how special it is to put a uniform on, how special it is to put on a Yankee uniform," Girardi said. "It's very difficult to take it off. I think tomorrow will be kind of a culmination of all the love he's been shown and all the appreciation he's been shown during the course of this year and in his career and I think it'll be something we'll remember for a long time."

Asked about going through his routine for home games one last time, Jeter said, "I don't know. That's a better question for tomorrow, I guess. I don't know."

And when reporters pressed on how much, if at all, Jeter intended to play this weekend, he said, "Buddy, we just lost. Respect the fact that we just lost, and we're not going to the playoffs. I can't think about Boston. Right now I'm disappointed. We've got a game to play here tomorrow. I can't think about Boston."

Jeter's teammates and especially his manager, were more willing to see the larger picture. They understand why Jeter has been special, and they also understand the reaction to him.

"I think about what New York fans want," Girardi said. "It just makes me think about what they're asking of their team. They're asking for players to give them everything they've got, they're asking them to do it the right way and be tough. And I think Derek has all three of those qualities. They don't want to hear any excuses. You never hear Derek make any excuses. You watch the way he's done it 20 years. He's done it the way fans appreciate it. Obviously, he's been a very good player, but he's also done it the way the fans want from their New York Yankees."

As Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira said, "One of the great blessings of my baseball career has been being able to play with Derek Jeter. I tell everybody, he deserves it all -- the accolades, the recognition, the farewell tour. Because he's a great player, on and off the field. He's been such a great ambassador for the game of baseball. You can see what baseball's done the last 20 years, and the growth -- Derek Jeter's a big reason for that."

Richard Justice is a columnist for MLB.com. Read his blog, Justice4U. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Fenway perfect backdrop for Jeter's sendoff

Unlike all those other Red Sox-Yankees moments, this time, there'll be no loser. No pennant will be blown, no division lost. Rather, it will be a celebration of one man's life and times.

Beyond that, it will be a celebration of baseball. In the end, that's what Jeter represents to so many of us. He has played this great game at its highest level for 20 seasons. Jeter has also represented so much more than simply playing well. He has been about team play and hard work and also about charity and social responsibility.

So when Jeter plays his final big league game this weekend, presumably Sunday at Fenway Park, it will be a moment for the Yankees and Red Sox alike to embrace.

Red Sox fans will show up and pack the place as usual. Yanks fans will be there, too, in big numbers. Red Sox fans will cheer Jeter in a way they've never cheered him before. Bet on that. While they've booed him through the years, the boos have never been more than half-hearted.

Jeter has joked about all the terrible names he has been called in Boston, but the truth is, he understands what that has been about. That's a Yankees-Red Sox thing, bred into New Englanders from an early age.

Here's the dirty little secret Jeter has probably already figured out. These are great baseball fans. They love their Red Sox, but they love the sport, too. And they respect greatness. They appreciate Jeter in the same way they appreciate Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz.

Respect cuts along similar lines, regardless of the uniform. With both teams out of contention, with both teams in transition, Jeter may represent something more to Boston fans.

When they see Jeter, they'll remember their finest hour, rallying from a 3-0 deficit in the 2004 American League Championship Series. That season ended with Jeter bitterly disappointed and with the Red Sox breaking the 86-year-old Curse of the Bambino to win the World Series.

Jeter has played 281 games against Boston in the regular season and 19 more in the postseason. He has played 151 at Fenway Park. Baseball is a personal sport, especially in a place where the fans are close and the relationship to the players is so intimate. That's why Red Sox fans surely feel they know the guy.

They've simply seen so much of Jeter, the way he plays and carries himself, his grace in victory and defeat. At some point, they had to believe they had him figured out.

They knew Jeter was made of the right stuff, that he was impossible to really dislike and that he did the game proud in so many ways.

This isn't the way opposing players are usually treated. Then again, nothing has been typical for Jeter the last few weeks. On Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, fans stood and cheered each time he stepped into the on-deck circle.

When Jeter grounded out in the eighth inning of a 9-5 loss, they stood and chanted his name, demanding a curtain call. He declined, saying postgame that he wasn't going to do anything to disrupt teammate Chase Headley's at-bat.

Jeter has noticed what's happening around him, has admitted it feels strange. He would like to focus on the games, but we would like to tell him thanks. This is one of those unique moments.

That's also why we love this game. No other sport delivers the way this one does, in terms of passion and historical context. Here's hoping that someday Jeter looks back on the whole thing and understands the place he holds in the hearts of minds of baseball fans -- not just in New York, but all across the country. Including Boston.

Richard Justice is a columnist for MLB.com. Read his blog, Justice4U. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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DP partners cherish memories of playing next to Jeter

So where better to start with the memories from a fielding position adjacent to Jeter in Seattle on May 29, 1995?

The 20-year-old shortstop from Kalamazoo, Mich., the talk of the Yankees system since being taken with the sixth overall pick in the 1992 First-Year Player Draft, is making his first appearance in the big leagues. He's settling in between second and third on the Kingdome carpet. He's ninth in the batting order, right behind young outfielder Bernie Williams. Randy Velarde is at second base and has no way of knowing that he's witnessing the very beginning of an iconic era in Yankees history.

"I remember a young man with a long, wiry, strong body who had all the tools, and everybody knew exactly who he was," said Velarde, who also started at second base four days later when Jeter made his Yankee Stadium debut (although Dave Silvestri came in to play second in the eighth inning).

Yankees second basemen during Derek Jeter's career:

PLAYER
David Adams (2013)
Dean Anna (2014)
Mark Bellhorn (2005)
Clay Bellinger (1999-2000)
Wilson Betemit (2007-08)
Homer Bush (1997-98, 2004)
Miguel Cairo (2004, 2006-07)
Andy Cannizaro (2006)
Robinson Cano (2005-13)
Francisco Cervelli (2011, 2013)
Wilson Delgado (2000)
Stephen Drew (2014)
Mariano Duncan (1996-97)
Robert Eenhoorn (1995-96)
Felix Escalona (2005)
Tony Fernandez (1996)
Andy Fox (1996-97)
Alberto Gonzalez (2007)
Nick Green (2006)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (2009)
Charlie Hayes (1997)
Matt Howard (1996)
D'Angelo Jimenez (1999)
Kelly Johnson (2014)
Russ Johnson (2005)
Corban Joseph (2013)
Pat Kelly (1995-97)
Chuck Knoblauch (1998-2000)
Jim Leyritz (1996)
Russell Martin (2011)
Casey McGehee (2012)
Jayson Nix (2012-13)
Eduardo Nunez (2010-13)
Ramiro Pena (2009-11)
Andy Phillips (2006-07)
Jorge Posada (2011)
Martin Prado (2014)
Cody Ransom (2008-09)
Mark Reynolds (2013)
Brian Roberts (2014)
Kevin Russo (2010)
Brendan Ryan (2014)
Rey Sanchez (1997, 2005)
Dave Silvestri (1995)
Luis Sojo (1996-2001, 2003)
Yangervis Solarte (2014)
Alfonso Soriano (2000-03)
Randy Velarde (1995)
Robin Ventura (2003)
Jose Vizcaino (2000)
Vernon Wells (2013)
Enrique Wilson (2001-04)
Tony Womack (2005)

"He was highly touted and a lot of people were talking about him in Spring Training," said Velarde. "With all that said, though, you just didn't know. You saw all the tools. You saw how smooth he was at shortstop, you saw how driven he was and you saw the bat speed, but that didn't necessarily mean he'd make it in the Major Leagues, and that definitely didn't mean he'd have anywhere close to the kind of career he ended up having. That part of it is just amazing.

"And even better than how well he played is how he carries himself, how he really honors the integrity of the game. Everyone knows that about him, but he's even better than that when you get to know him. He's just a wonderful person, and the fact that he not only survived the frenzy of that media market but flourished in it the way he did, well, that part is almost miraculous."

Robert Eenhoorn was on that same 1995 team, the one that lost in five games in the American League Division Series to that same Seattle team, right there in that same Kingdome building. Eenhoorn was Jeter's roommate on that road trip and the utility man for the Yankees when the 1996 season began and the kid was the everyday shortstop and eventual Rookie of the Year and first-time World Series champion. He recalls Jeter's homer on Opening Day in Cleveland that year and a lot after that.

"What I remember from Derek is what a nice guy he is," said Eenhoorn, a native of the Netherlands who is now the technical director of his country's national baseball team.

"From the beginning, it all came very natural to him. He's a great guy, and there's nothing, really, to hide for him. He's been the same guy despite all the things he's done, all the championships. He has the same attitude he had when he started his pro career.

"Every once in a while in sports, you come across that superstar, and the superstar himself seems to be the only guy who doesn't know he's a superstar because of the way he handles himself. And that's him."

Jeter was approaching superstar status by the end of the 1996 season, and second basemen who had shared the field with him also included Tony Fernandez, Mariano Duncan, Luis Sojo, Matt Howard, Pat Kelly, Andy Fox and even Jim Leyritz, who filled in briefly during a blowout.

By the time the Yankees dynasty was in full swing, with three consecutive World Series titles from 1998-2000, New York had filled in the cracks at second with Homer Bush, Clay Bellinger, Charlie Hayes, Jose Vizcaino, Wilson Delgado and Rey Sanchez, and kept Sojo around as a valuable bench player.

In 1998, they solidified second base by acquiring four-time All-Star Knoblauch, who would win three rings. Soriano came up in 2001 and hit the go-ahead homer in Game 7 of the World Series, which was erased by Arizona mounting a rare comeback off Mariano Rivera, but he became the key chip in the 2003 trade that brought Alex Rodriguez from Texas ... to play third base.

And so it went on for the Yankees at second while Jeter stayed at short.

Soriano's departure created some disarray at second base as the Yankees got close to winning more rings but couldn't quite deliver.

Enrique Wilson played there from 2001-04. He and Miguel Cairo were splitting duties when the Red Sox rallied back from an 0-3 deficit in the 2004 AL Championship Series to beat the Yankees in seven.

The Yankees had to address the second-base situation in 2005, so they signed veteran Tony Womack to a free-agent deal the winter after the '04 season. Womack wasn't the answer, but 22-year-old prospect Robinson Cano was, and on May 3 of that year, Jeter was introduced to the second baseman he'd play alongside more than any other.

Cano ended up winning a World Series title with Jeter in 2009 and also being Jeter's teammate in five All-Star Games (2006, 2010-12 and 2014) among his six Midsummer Classic appearances and Jeter's 14.

The best Jeter moment that he witnessed, Cano said, occurred at Yankee Stadium on July 9, 2011.

"I think, for me, it was his 3,000th hit," Cano said of the home run off David Price that highlighted a 5-for-5 day. "He wasn't a guy that hit a lot of homers, but he got his 3,000th with a homer. That was amazing. Especially against a guy like Price."

Cano has moved on to hit in the middle of the order and mentor a young team in Seattle. He said he learned a lot from Jeter.

"More than anything it was to play hard," Cano said. "He wanted to play every day. He never wanted to be out of the game. You just look at what he's accomplished in his career. You just had to watch him to learn things.

"He's a guy that makes every play. He's had a perfect career. He's got World Series rings, All-Star Games, everything. What else can you ask for?"

There were plenty of other names shifting in to play second during the Cano years, including Mark Bellhorn, Russ Johnson, Escalona, Cannizaro, Nick Green, Andy Phillips, Alberto Gonzalez, Wilson Betemit, Cody Ransom, Jerry Hairston Jr., Russo and Ramiro Pena. Astute Yankees fans might remember stints by Eduardo Nunez, Casey McGehee, Jayson Nix, Joseph, Mark Reynolds and David Adams. At points during games that got out of hand, second base was played, sometimes hilariously, by non-second basemen Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Francisco Cervelli and Vernon Wells.

Jeter saw it all. Jeter took it all in. And Jeter's presence influenced many of those players, whether he realizes it or not.

"Growing up, he was a guy I admired and had a big impact on me coming up through high school, a guy I admired very much and a guy that inspired me," Nix said. "That being said, getting to be his teammate and being able to firsthand just see how he conducts himself and goes about his business, I learned a whole lot from him. And it was an honor to be his teammate and I was very fortunate for that opportunity and after all that, to call him a friend of mine. It's very special."

One of Nunez's special memories revolves around the fact that Jeter liked to joke that he didn't understand Nunez's English.

"One day while we were fielding ground balls, he called over Cano and said 'Hey, somebody come help me? I can't understand what he's saying,'" Nunez said.

McGehee didn't play second base in a game while Jeter played shortstop, but he was in the same clubhouse and on the same roster and couldn't help but notice the captain's influence ... and more.

"He is 100 percent the real deal," McGehee said. "You could tell, and it wasn't even just the bench guys, role players or young guys, but established superstars in the big leagues, how much respect they had when he said something. It was pretty impressive to watch, just the amount of respect everybody had for him.

"And I didn't realize it, but he is really funny. He has a knack of when to turn it off, and when to switch into the Captain, and when it is time to switch back into Derek. His competitiveness, and what he expects out of himself on a daily basis, is unbelievable."

When Cano left, the Yankees second-base situation was thrown into a bit of uncertainty. The 2014 season became a revolving door of sorts as Jeter played out his much-celebrated final 162-game foray.

There was Kelly Johnson, there was Dean Anna, there was Brian Roberts, there was Brendan Ryan, there was Yangervis Solarte, there was Martin Prado, and now there's Stephen Drew.

"He's such a great player, but what a great guy on top of that, a nice guy," Solarte said. "He would always talk to me, put his arm around me, 'Hey Solo, why don't you talk to me?' he would say. He was always trying to keep it loose. This was a guy I felt like I watched my whole life and then I got a chance to play next to him, and do it in his last year? Unbelievable. I'm very lucky."

Ryan said no moment is too big for Jeter, but the little moments end up being big, too.

"I like when he goes to the mound and has something to say," Ryan said. "I don't want to say it's rare, but it's definitely not every time, because then it would get watered down. But he picks his spots, as you would imagine, and he always seemed to pick the right spots.

"He never wastes words, but when he uses them, they always have meaning and hold some weight. When he's talking, you just kind of keep your mouth shut and listen to what he has to say.

"Sometimes it's just a joke, just a stupid little comment, but for whatever reason, you feel like the group is better for that comment."

It's quite possible that Drew, who has only been with the Yankees since the July 31 Trade Deadline, will be the New York second baseman in Boston on Sunday, when Jeter's career finally does come to a close.

Drew, like many of the other 52 second basemen who have played for the Yankees during this unforgettable era, seems to appreciate every inning he's gotten to play next to No. 2.

"You go 20 years in the big leagues, playing a game the way he has played it, you always hear about it, but playing consistent, doing it over and over, that's what amazes me the most," Drew said. "He's always learning. It's a calming presence and he understands, he knows what you're going through.

"Also, he has fun. It's still a kid's game to him."

Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @DougMillerMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Yanks pitchers set club mark with 1,319th K

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McCarthy fans eight batters 1:00

9/23/14: Brandon McCarthy pitches 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on 11 hits and no walks while striking out eight batters

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | |

NEW YORK -- David Robertson fanned Jonathan Schoop in the top of the ninth inning of Tuesday's 5-4 Yankees loss to the Orioles, marking the 1,319th strikeout recorded this season by Yankees pitchers to establish a new single-season franchise mark.

The total surpasses the 1,318 strikeouts recorded by the 2012 Yankees staff. New York entered play on Tuesday 10 shy of that franchise record, with Brandon McCarthy recording eight strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings to close the gap.

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Dellin Betances struck out two batters in the eighth inning, tying the record by freezing Nick Hundley looking at a called third strike.

Masahiro Tanaka leads the Yanks' staff this year with 139 strikeouts, while Hiroki Kuroda is second with 137. Betances has 135, giving him the all-time single-season franchise record for strikeouts by a reliever.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Yankees' hopes slim, but Jeter keeps hitting

MLB.COM BINGO

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ODDS OF WINNING A PRIZE WILL DEPEND ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BINGO CARDS ISSUED AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VALID POTENTIAL WINNING BINGO CARDS CLAIMED FOR EACH APPLICABLE POSTSEASON GAME. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ALL DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED SOLELY BY BINDING ARBITRATION AND ENTRANTS WAIVE THE ABILITY TO BRING CLAIMS IN A CLASS ACTION FORMAT.

ELIGIBILITY:  MLB.com Bingo (the "Promotion") is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Washington, D.C. who are eighteen (18) years of age or older (except in the case of legal residents of certain states where the legal age of majority is greater than eighteen (18) years of age, such legal age of majority) at the time of entry. Employees, officers, and directors (including immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and members of the same household, whether or not related) of MLB Advanced Media, L.P. ("Sponsor"), the other MLB Entities and each of their respective parents, affiliated companies, subsidiaries, licensees, distributors, dealers, retailers, printers, advertising and promotion agencies, and any and all other companies associated with the Promotion are not eligible to participate or win a Prize (defined below). The "MLB Entities" shall mean Sponsor, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball ("BOC"), its Bureaus, Committees, Subcommittees and Councils, Major League Baseball Enterprises, Inc., Major League Baseball Properties, Inc., the Major League Baseball Clubs ("Clubs"), each of their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and related entities, any entity which, now or in the future, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the Clubs or the BOC and the owners, general and limited partners, shareholders, directors, officers, employees and agents of the foregoing entities. The Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. Void where prohibited or restricted by law, rule or regulation.

PROMOTION PERIOD: The Promotion period (the "Promotion Period") begins at 11:00 AM Eastern Time ("ET") on October 5, 2012 and ends upon completion of the final out of the 2012 MLB World Series Championship.

HOW TO ENTER: During the Promotion Period, you may enter the Promotion by clicking on the banners, buttons and/or links within MLB.com Gameday (a free application) and following the instructions provided to register for the Promotion. If you are not already a member of MLB.com, you must become one before you can register to participate in the Contest (membership is free). There is only one (1) way to participate in the Promotion: online. No other method of entry or participation will be accepted. Additional entries beyond the specified limit will be void. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means will be void. All information submitted online by entrants is subject to, and will be treated in a manner consistent with, MLB.com's Terms of Use accessible at: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb_com/terms_of_use.jsp and Privacy Policy accessible at: www.mlb.com/privacy.  All online entries must include a valid e-mail address for the entrant.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:  Upon successful registration, follow the instructions provided to receive one (1) virtual bingo card (the "Bingo Card") for each game of the 2012 MLB Postseason played during the Promotion Period (each, a "Postseason Game"). In addition, during the Promotion Period, participants may utilize sharing functionality available via the Promotion upon completion of a successful Contest (the "Sharing Functionality") to receive two (2) additional Bingo Cards. For each eligible individual any entrant notifies or makes aware of the Promotion who clicks on a valid link made available via the Sharing Functionality identifiable as having come from the entrant, such entrant shall receive two (2) additional Bingo Cards (for a total of three (3) Bingo Cards). No additional Bingo Cards will be received other than through verified Sharing Functionality. There is a limit of three (3) Bingo Cards per person and per e-mail address per Postseason Game. Each Bingo Card shall include a 5x5 grid that includes twenty-five (25) tiles (each, a "Tile"). Each Tile will include one (1) randomly selected game outcome for the active Postseason Game. For example, a participant could have a "Josh Hamilton Double" Tile on their Bingo Card which would be automatically marked in the event Josh Hamilton hits a double during a Postseason Game. Any eligible participant who receives a Bingo Card that becomes marked with five (5) Tiles in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row (each, a "Potential Winning Bingo Card") may be a potential Prize winner, subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these Official Rules. (See the Prize Claim Section below for more information.) For purposes of this Promotion, MLB game outcomes will not be updated to reflect any official MLB statistics changes or corrections that may occur after the completion of any Postseason Game. Once each Postseason Game is final following completion of the final out of that game, it will be final for purposes of this Promotion. In the event any Postseason Game is cancelled, postponed or suspended, all Bingo Cards will be void for that game and Sponsor reserves the right to award the applicable Prizes by way of random drawing from among all eligible participants as of the time of such cancellation, postponement or suspension.

PRIZE CLAIMS: In the event you receive a message within MLB.com Gameday notifying you that you have a Potential Winning Bingo Card, you must claim your Potential Winning Bingo Card by following the onscreen instructions provided by no later than ten (10) minutes following the end of the applicable Postseason Game to be eligible for the Drawing (defined below). Failure to claim your Potential Winning Bingo Card within ten (10) minutes following the end of the applicable Postseason Game will render the Potential Winning Bingo Card void and result in Prize forfeiture.

ALL POTENTIAL WINNING BINGO CARDS ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING. AN ENTRANT IS NOT A WINNER OF ANY PRIZE, EVEN IF THE PROMOTION SHOULD SO INDICATE, UNLESS AND UNTIL ENTRANT'S ELIGIBILITY, THE POTENTIAL WINNING BINGO CARD AND ENTRANT'S COMPLIANCE WITH THESE OFFICIAL RULES HAVE BEEN VERIFIED BY SPONSOR AND ENTRANT HAS BEEN NOTIFIED THAT SUCH VERIFICATION IS COMPLETE. SPONSOR WILL NOT ACCEPT SCREEN SHOTS OR OTHER EVIDENCE OF WINNING IN LIEU OF ITS VALIDATION PROCESS.

RANDOM DRAWINGS: Approximately thirty (30) minutes following the final out of each Postseason Game, five (5) potential winners will be selected by random drawing from among all eligible participants who claim valid Potential Winning Bingo Cards for that Postseason Game in accordance with these Official Rules (the "Drawing"). Subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these Official Rules, the potential winners will be declared official winners of the Sweepstakes (each, a "Winner" and collectively, the "Winners"). Odds of winning a Prize will depend on the total number of Bingo Cards issued and the total number of valid Potential Winning Bingo Cards claimed for each applicable Postseason Game. Limit one (1) Prize per person, per family and per household.

PRIZES:  A maximum of two hundred fifteen (215) prizes (each, a "Prize" and collectively, the "Prizes") will be awarded (i.e. five (5) Prizes per each Postseason Game with a maximum of forty-three (43) Postseason Games), as follows:

For up to twenty-two (22) Postseason Games during the 2012 Wild Card Games and the 2012 Division Series, each Winner will receive one (1) Postseason.TV subscription for the remainder of the 2012 MLB Postseason. Approximate retail value ("ARV") of each such Prize: $4.99.

For up to twenty-one (21) Postseason Games during the 2012 League Championship Series and the 2012 MLB World Series Championship, each Winner will receive one (1) MLB.TV Offseason Package subscription. ARV of each such Prize: $24.99.

Total ARV of all Prizes: $3172.85.

For the avoidance of doubt, no Prizes will be awarded in connection with any 2012 MLB Postseason game that is not played because it is not necessary.

PRIZE CONDITIONS: All Prize details to be determined in the sole discretion of Sponsor. Each Winner is fully responsible for any and all applicable federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes). Postseason.TV subscriptions are subject to blackout and other restrictions - see www.postseason.tv for complete details. All costs and expenses associated with the Prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided including, but not limited to, any and all expenses incurred by accepting the Prize are the sole responsibility of the Winners. The Prizes are non-transferable and non-assignable, with no cash redemptions except at Sponsor's sole and absolute discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any Prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value at its sole and absolute discretion.

NOTIFICATION:  Each potential winner will be notified at the e-mail address, postal address and/or telephone number (in the sole discretion of Sponsor) provided at the time of entry (the "Prize Notification"). In the event that any potential winner does not respond to any such Prize Notification within three (3) days of the date of issuance or declines the Prize for any reason, a disqualification will result, the Prize will be forfeited and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate potential winner may be randomly selected from among all remaining eligible entries. Each potential winner may be required to submit his/her valid social security number and/or other identification to Sponsor and may be required to execute, have notarized and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability and, unless prohibited by law, Publicity, within five (5) days of date of issuance. Failure to submit any identification required by Sponsor or to return the required documents within the specified time period, noncompliance with these Official Rules or the return of the Prize (or any portion thereof) or Prize Notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and Prize forfeiture and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, may cause an alternate potential winner to be randomly selected from among all remaining eligible entries.

WAIVER OF LIABILITY/PUBLICITY RELEASE:  By participating in the Promotion and submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to (i) be bound by these Official Rules, including all entry requirements, and (ii) waive any and all claims against Sponsor, the other MLB Entities, Facebook, Apple, Inc. and each of their respective parents, affiliated companies, subsidiaries, officers, directors, employees, agents, licensees, distributors, dealers, retailers, printers, representatives and advertising and promotion agencies, and any and all other companies associated with the Promotion, and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, "Released Parties") for any injury, damage or loss that may occur, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from the participation in the Promotion or from the receipt or use of any Prize (or any portion thereof) or any travel or activity related to the receipt or use of any Prize (or any portion thereof). By entering this Promotion, each entrant gives his/her express permission to be contacted by Sponsor by telephone, e-mail and/or postal mail for Promotion purposes. Each Winner, by acceptance of the Prize, grants to Sponsor and each of its designees the right to publicize such Winner's name, address (city and state of residence), photograph, voice, statements and/or other likeness and prize information for advertising, promotional, trade and/or any other purpose in any media or format now known or hereafter devised, throughout the world, in perpetuity, without limitation and without further compensation, consideration, permission or notification, unless prohibited by law.

GENERAL CONDITIONS:  All decisions of Sponsor, including the determination of winners, are final and binding on all matters relating to this Promotion. Released Parties are not responsible for stolen, late, incomplete, illegible, inaccurate, misdirected, lost, misrouted, scrambled, damaged, delayed, undelivered, mutilated or garbled entries, transmissions, e-mail or mail; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, cable, satellite, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), wireless network, website, or other connections including those through and/or by any website, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone, cable or wireless transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties; any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in transmission, processing, or communication; non-delivery; misdirected, blocked, or delayed e-mail notifications; printing, typographical or other errors appearing within these Official Rules, in any Promotion-related advertisements or other materials; or any other errors, problems or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, network, computer, telephone, mail, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Promotion, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Promotion, the processing of entries, the announcement of the Prize or in any Promotion-related materials, or the cancellation or postponement of any Major League Baseball game, event or exhibition. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Promotion. Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to participants' or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating in this Promotion or downloading materials from or use of the website. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Promotion or website or attempt to undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion by cheating, deception or other unfair playing practices, or intend to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrant or any representative of Sponsor or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void. Any attempt to deliberately damage the content or operation of this Promotion is unlawful and subject to legal action by Sponsor and/or its agents. Sponsor shall have the sole right to disqualify any entrant for violation of these Official Rules or any applicable laws relating to the Promotion, and to resolve all disputes in its sole discretion. Released Parties (i) make no warranty, guaranty or representation of any kind concerning any Prize (or any portion thereof), and (ii) disclaim any implied warranty. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend the Promotion (or any portion thereof) should virus, bugs, unauthorized human intervention, or other causes corrupt administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper operation of the Promotion (or any portion thereof). In the event of such cancellation, Sponsor may elect to identify the Winners and award the Prizes by way of random drawing from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to the time of such cancellation. Sponsor also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Promotion.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL, WHETHER OR NOT AN ENTRANT, TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROMOTION OR UNDERMINE THE CONTENT OR LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR WILL DISQUALIFY ANY SUCH ENTRANT, AND SPONSOR AND/OR ITS AGENTS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES) AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

In the event of dispute as to the identity or eligibility of any potential winner based on an e-mail address, the winning entry will be declared made by the "Authorized Account Holder" of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry provided he/she is eligible according to these Official Rules. The "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person to whom the applicable Internet service provider or other organization (such as a business or educational institution) has assigned the e-mail address for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

As a condition of participating in this Promotion, each entrant agrees that (A) any and all disputes, claims, controversies or causes of action arising out of or relating to this Promotion, or any prizes awarded (each, a "Claim"), shall be (1) arbitrated on an individual basis only, and shall not be consolidated or joined with or in any arbitration or other proceeding involving a Claim of any other party, and (2) settled by binding arbitration in New York County, New York before a single arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its then governing rules and procedures, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof; and (B) under no circumstance will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, consequential or any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. These Official Rules shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A, applicable to contracts entered into and performed exclusively in that State.

Apple, Inc. is not a sponsor of, or responsible for conducting, the Promotion. All entry data provided in connection with this Promotion is provided to Sponsor and not to Facebook. This Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

WINNERS' LIST:  For a list of winners (available after December 1, 2012) mail a request and a self-addressed stamped envelope to be received by January 15, 2012 to: MLB.com Bingo Winner's List c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 75 Ninth Ave., New York, New York 10011, Attn: Sweepstakes Department.

SPONSOR: The Sponsor of this Promotion is MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 75 Ninth Ave., New York, New York 10011.

Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are proprietary to the MLB Entities. All rights reserved.

23.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Yankees Magazine covers all Jeter angles

"I'm very proud of it," said editor-in-chief Al Santasiere. "It's the publication that I've been a part of that I'm most proud of, including the Yankee Stadium books. We put so much time into it and had so much time to perfect it, both in terms of the way that it was written and also the story ideas."

The glossy keepsake includes a retrospective on what Jeter has meant to Yankees fans, having grown up as one himself, and the text of an exclusive Q&A that Jeter and Hall of Famer Ernie Banks conducted together this summer at Wrigley Field.

There is also an in-depth interview with Jeter's parents, Charles and Dorothy, who shared entertaining and touching anecdotes from the future shortstop's childhood, and a photo gallery of Jeter's return to his old high school in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Fans can also read about Dick Groch, the former Yankees scout who signed Jeter; an eight-page pullout offering a timeline of Jeter's important milestones; and a selection of the first stories to mention Jeter in Yankees Magazine, beginning with the 1992 Draft recap.

"We tried to come up with the most well-rounded look at his career that we could possibly have, where we covered it from every different angle; really unique angles," Santasiere said. "That's what makes me proud, is that it's really complete and it looks good."

The publication also contains numerous vignettes from Jeter's contemporaries and rivals, who recall their favorite memories of Jeter's career.

Among those quoted: Hank Aaron, Bill Clinton, Joe Girardi, Reggie Jackson, Randy Levine, Eli Manning, Tino Martinez, Mark Messier, Gene Michael, Paul Molitor, David Ortiz, Buck Showalter, Hal Steinbrenner, Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal, Bud Selig, Joe Torre, David Wells, Bernie Williams, Dave Winfield and more.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

23.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jeter turns back clock with three-RBI night

MLB.COM BINGO

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ODDS OF WINNING A PRIZE WILL DEPEND ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BINGO CARDS ISSUED AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VALID POTENTIAL WINNING BINGO CARDS CLAIMED FOR EACH APPLICABLE POSTSEASON GAME. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ALL DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED SOLELY BY BINDING ARBITRATION AND ENTRANTS WAIVE THE ABILITY TO BRING CLAIMS IN A CLASS ACTION FORMAT.

ELIGIBILITY:  MLB.com Bingo (the "Promotion") is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Washington, D.C. who are eighteen (18) years of age or older (except in the case of legal residents of certain states where the legal age of majority is greater than eighteen (18) years of age, such legal age of majority) at the time of entry. Employees, officers, and directors (including immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and members of the same household, whether or not related) of MLB Advanced Media, L.P. ("Sponsor"), the other MLB Entities and each of their respective parents, affiliated companies, subsidiaries, licensees, distributors, dealers, retailers, printers, advertising and promotion agencies, and any and all other companies associated with the Promotion are not eligible to participate or win a Prize (defined below). The "MLB Entities" shall mean Sponsor, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball ("BOC"), its Bureaus, Committees, Subcommittees and Councils, Major League Baseball Enterprises, Inc., Major League Baseball Properties, Inc., the Major League Baseball Clubs ("Clubs"), each of their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and related entities, any entity which, now or in the future, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the Clubs or the BOC and the owners, general and limited partners, shareholders, directors, officers, employees and agents of the foregoing entities. The Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. Void where prohibited or restricted by law, rule or regulation.

PROMOTION PERIOD: The Promotion period (the "Promotion Period") begins at 11:00 AM Eastern Time ("ET") on October 5, 2012 and ends upon completion of the final out of the 2012 MLB World Series Championship.

HOW TO ENTER: During the Promotion Period, you may enter the Promotion by clicking on the banners, buttons and/or links within MLB.com Gameday (a free application) and following the instructions provided to register for the Promotion. If you are not already a member of MLB.com, you must become one before you can register to participate in the Contest (membership is free). There is only one (1) way to participate in the Promotion: online. No other method of entry or participation will be accepted. Additional entries beyond the specified limit will be void. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means will be void. All information submitted online by entrants is subject to, and will be treated in a manner consistent with, MLB.com's Terms of Use accessible at: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb_com/terms_of_use.jsp and Privacy Policy accessible at: www.mlb.com/privacy.  All online entries must include a valid e-mail address for the entrant.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:  Upon successful registration, follow the instructions provided to receive one (1) virtual bingo card (the "Bingo Card") for each game of the 2012 MLB Postseason played during the Promotion Period (each, a "Postseason Game"). In addition, during the Promotion Period, participants may utilize sharing functionality available via the Promotion upon completion of a successful Contest (the "Sharing Functionality") to receive two (2) additional Bingo Cards. For each eligible individual any entrant notifies or makes aware of the Promotion who clicks on a valid link made available via the Sharing Functionality identifiable as having come from the entrant, such entrant shall receive two (2) additional Bingo Cards (for a total of three (3) Bingo Cards). No additional Bingo Cards will be received other than through verified Sharing Functionality. There is a limit of three (3) Bingo Cards per person and per e-mail address per Postseason Game. Each Bingo Card shall include a 5x5 grid that includes twenty-five (25) tiles (each, a "Tile"). Each Tile will include one (1) randomly selected game outcome for the active Postseason Game. For example, a participant could have a "Josh Hamilton Double" Tile on their Bingo Card which would be automatically marked in the event Josh Hamilton hits a double during a Postseason Game. Any eligible participant who receives a Bingo Card that becomes marked with five (5) Tiles in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row (each, a "Potential Winning Bingo Card") may be a potential Prize winner, subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these Official Rules. (See the Prize Claim Section below for more information.) For purposes of this Promotion, MLB game outcomes will not be updated to reflect any official MLB statistics changes or corrections that may occur after the completion of any Postseason Game. Once each Postseason Game is final following completion of the final out of that game, it will be final for purposes of this Promotion. In the event any Postseason Game is cancelled, postponed or suspended, all Bingo Cards will be void for that game and Sponsor reserves the right to award the applicable Prizes by way of random drawing from among all eligible participants as of the time of such cancellation, postponement or suspension.

PRIZE CLAIMS: In the event you receive a message within MLB.com Gameday notifying you that you have a Potential Winning Bingo Card, you must claim your Potential Winning Bingo Card by following the onscreen instructions provided by no later than ten (10) minutes following the end of the applicable Postseason Game to be eligible for the Drawing (defined below). Failure to claim your Potential Winning Bingo Card within ten (10) minutes following the end of the applicable Postseason Game will render the Potential Winning Bingo Card void and result in Prize forfeiture.

ALL POTENTIAL WINNING BINGO CARDS ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING. AN ENTRANT IS NOT A WINNER OF ANY PRIZE, EVEN IF THE PROMOTION SHOULD SO INDICATE, UNLESS AND UNTIL ENTRANT'S ELIGIBILITY, THE POTENTIAL WINNING BINGO CARD AND ENTRANT'S COMPLIANCE WITH THESE OFFICIAL RULES HAVE BEEN VERIFIED BY SPONSOR AND ENTRANT HAS BEEN NOTIFIED THAT SUCH VERIFICATION IS COMPLETE. SPONSOR WILL NOT ACCEPT SCREEN SHOTS OR OTHER EVIDENCE OF WINNING IN LIEU OF ITS VALIDATION PROCESS.

RANDOM DRAWINGS: Approximately thirty (30) minutes following the final out of each Postseason Game, five (5) potential winners will be selected by random drawing from among all eligible participants who claim valid Potential Winning Bingo Cards for that Postseason Game in accordance with these Official Rules (the "Drawing"). Subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these Official Rules, the potential winners will be declared official winners of the Sweepstakes (each, a "Winner" and collectively, the "Winners"). Odds of winning a Prize will depend on the total number of Bingo Cards issued and the total number of valid Potential Winning Bingo Cards claimed for each applicable Postseason Game. Limit one (1) Prize per person, per family and per household.

PRIZES:  A maximum of two hundred fifteen (215) prizes (each, a "Prize" and collectively, the "Prizes") will be awarded (i.e. five (5) Prizes per each Postseason Game with a maximum of forty-three (43) Postseason Games), as follows:

For up to twenty-two (22) Postseason Games during the 2012 Wild Card Games and the 2012 Division Series, each Winner will receive one (1) Postseason.TV subscription for the remainder of the 2012 MLB Postseason. Approximate retail value ("ARV") of each such Prize: $4.99.

For up to twenty-one (21) Postseason Games during the 2012 League Championship Series and the 2012 MLB World Series Championship, each Winner will receive one (1) MLB.TV Offseason Package subscription. ARV of each such Prize: $24.99.

Total ARV of all Prizes: $3172.85.

For the avoidance of doubt, no Prizes will be awarded in connection with any 2012 MLB Postseason game that is not played because it is not necessary.

PRIZE CONDITIONS: All Prize details to be determined in the sole discretion of Sponsor. Each Winner is fully responsible for any and all applicable federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes). Postseason.TV subscriptions are subject to blackout and other restrictions - see www.postseason.tv for complete details. All costs and expenses associated with the Prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided including, but not limited to, any and all expenses incurred by accepting the Prize are the sole responsibility of the Winners. The Prizes are non-transferable and non-assignable, with no cash redemptions except at Sponsor's sole and absolute discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any Prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value at its sole and absolute discretion.

NOTIFICATION:  Each potential winner will be notified at the e-mail address, postal address and/or telephone number (in the sole discretion of Sponsor) provided at the time of entry (the "Prize Notification"). In the event that any potential winner does not respond to any such Prize Notification within three (3) days of the date of issuance or declines the Prize for any reason, a disqualification will result, the Prize will be forfeited and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate potential winner may be randomly selected from among all remaining eligible entries. Each potential winner may be required to submit his/her valid social security number and/or other identification to Sponsor and may be required to execute, have notarized and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability and, unless prohibited by law, Publicity, within five (5) days of date of issuance. Failure to submit any identification required by Sponsor or to return the required documents within the specified time period, noncompliance with these Official Rules or the return of the Prize (or any portion thereof) or Prize Notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and Prize forfeiture and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, may cause an alternate potential winner to be randomly selected from among all remaining eligible entries.

WAIVER OF LIABILITY/PUBLICITY RELEASE:  By participating in the Promotion and submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to (i) be bound by these Official Rules, including all entry requirements, and (ii) waive any and all claims against Sponsor, the other MLB Entities, Facebook, Apple, Inc. and each of their respective parents, affiliated companies, subsidiaries, officers, directors, employees, agents, licensees, distributors, dealers, retailers, printers, representatives and advertising and promotion agencies, and any and all other companies associated with the Promotion, and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, "Released Parties") for any injury, damage or loss that may occur, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from the participation in the Promotion or from the receipt or use of any Prize (or any portion thereof) or any travel or activity related to the receipt or use of any Prize (or any portion thereof). By entering this Promotion, each entrant gives his/her express permission to be contacted by Sponsor by telephone, e-mail and/or postal mail for Promotion purposes. Each Winner, by acceptance of the Prize, grants to Sponsor and each of its designees the right to publicize such Winner's name, address (city and state of residence), photograph, voice, statements and/or other likeness and prize information for advertising, promotional, trade and/or any other purpose in any media or format now known or hereafter devised, throughout the world, in perpetuity, without limitation and without further compensation, consideration, permission or notification, unless prohibited by law.

GENERAL CONDITIONS:  All decisions of Sponsor, including the determination of winners, are final and binding on all matters relating to this Promotion. Released Parties are not responsible for stolen, late, incomplete, illegible, inaccurate, misdirected, lost, misrouted, scrambled, damaged, delayed, undelivered, mutilated or garbled entries, transmissions, e-mail or mail; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, cable, satellite, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), wireless network, website, or other connections including those through and/or by any website, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone, cable or wireless transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties; any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in transmission, processing, or communication; non-delivery; misdirected, blocked, or delayed e-mail notifications; printing, typographical or other errors appearing within these Official Rules, in any Promotion-related advertisements or other materials; or any other errors, problems or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, network, computer, telephone, mail, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Promotion, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Promotion, the processing of entries, the announcement of the Prize or in any Promotion-related materials, or the cancellation or postponement of any Major League Baseball game, event or exhibition. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Promotion. Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to participants' or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating in this Promotion or downloading materials from or use of the website. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Promotion or website or attempt to undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion by cheating, deception or other unfair playing practices, or intend to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrant or any representative of Sponsor or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void. Any attempt to deliberately damage the content or operation of this Promotion is unlawful and subject to legal action by Sponsor and/or its agents. Sponsor shall have the sole right to disqualify any entrant for violation of these Official Rules or any applicable laws relating to the Promotion, and to resolve all disputes in its sole discretion. Released Parties (i) make no warranty, guaranty or representation of any kind concerning any Prize (or any portion thereof), and (ii) disclaim any implied warranty. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend the Promotion (or any portion thereof) should virus, bugs, unauthorized human intervention, or other causes corrupt administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper operation of the Promotion (or any portion thereof). In the event of such cancellation, Sponsor may elect to identify the Winners and award the Prizes by way of random drawing from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to the time of such cancellation. Sponsor also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Promotion.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL, WHETHER OR NOT AN ENTRANT, TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROMOTION OR UNDERMINE THE CONTENT OR LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR WILL DISQUALIFY ANY SUCH ENTRANT, AND SPONSOR AND/OR ITS AGENTS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES) AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

In the event of dispute as to the identity or eligibility of any potential winner based on an e-mail address, the winning entry will be declared made by the "Authorized Account Holder" of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry provided he/she is eligible according to these Official Rules. The "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person to whom the applicable Internet service provider or other organization (such as a business or educational institution) has assigned the e-mail address for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

As a condition of participating in this Promotion, each entrant agrees that (A) any and all disputes, claims, controversies or causes of action arising out of or relating to this Promotion, or any prizes awarded (each, a "Claim"), shall be (1) arbitrated on an individual basis only, and shall not be consolidated or joined with or in any arbitration or other proceeding involving a Claim of any other party, and (2) settled by binding arbitration in New York County, New York before a single arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its then governing rules and procedures, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof; and (B) under no circumstance will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, consequential or any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. These Official Rules shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A, applicable to contracts entered into and performed exclusively in that State.

Apple, Inc. is not a sponsor of, or responsible for conducting, the Promotion. All entry data provided in connection with this Promotion is provided to Sponsor and not to Facebook. This Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

WINNERS' LIST:  For a list of winners (available after December 1, 2012) mail a request and a self-addressed stamped envelope to be received by January 15, 2012 to: MLB.com Bingo Winner's List c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 75 Ninth Ave., New York, New York 10011, Attn: Sweepstakes Department.

SPONSOR: The Sponsor of this Promotion is MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 75 Ninth Ave., New York, New York 10011.

Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are proprietary to the MLB Entities. All rights reserved.

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